September 7, 2018 10:43am EDTSeptember 7, 2018 10:43am EDTNew York Jets, NFLThe vision of the young, rambunctious Jets defensive secondary, which is changing New York's mentality to that of a dominant unit, is clear: "We want people to fear us."Jamal Adams(Getty Images)

The first week of Jets training camp was beyond unkind. On one particular August day, it was disgustingly humid, with the mercury hitting the high 90s. Media members were confined to an unshaded section of the practice field at One Jets Drive as the sun beat down on necks, arms and legs like a toddler begging a parent for ice cream ... for 2 1/2 hours. A single tree in the middle of three practice fields offered the only shade, and it could have been flagged for a 15-yard taunting penalty.

The clouds offered a brief respite. As did a cool breeze. Then came the heavy rains, which turned clothes and sneakers soggy like a forgotten bowl of cereal.

But through it all — the heat, the humidity, the downpour, the sunburn — Jets safety Jamal Adams was on the field, partaking in practice and high-octane trash talk. It was apparent that Adams wouldn't stand for a low-energy day as he stomped up and down the sideline. He breathed — and talked — life into the defense.

Alongside Adams both on the field and on the sideline were members of the Jets' secondary, those who hope to make as much noise on the field during games as Adams does with his mouth. With every sharp yell from Adams, permeating the clashing of helmets and shoulder pads, came another twist to the defense, akin to that of wind-up toys, ready to spring into action.

Goal line drills signaled the eventual end of a generally flat practice (which was eventually, thankfully, moved indoors), in which the Jets offense and defense traded stops and scores for about 10 minutes. The defense, saddled with rain, fatigue, sweat and soreness, came to life, hooting and hollering with every stop.

So, who won?

"Come on, man," Adams said following practice with a devilish grin and a hint of incredulity. "We did."

The President

Adams' five words and their inflection symbolized everything that the Jets' secondary hopes to be in 2018 and beyond: confident, successful, united.

Known by his nickname of "President" — one he acquired during his college years — Adams marched out of the locker room following that practice with a confident stride up to the media, smiling at members with blinding pearly whites.

"Manish!" Adams yelled with a smile to New York Daily News Jets beat writer Manish Mehta, putting his arm around him. The reporters often get a kick out of Adams and his antics during practice. Never shy to be himself on the field or with the media, Adams answers questions with a genuine confidence and charm — with little B.S. — rare qualities for a second-year player.

While his rookie season highlight packages will be devoid of interceptions and other eye-opening plays, Adams was a standout for the Jets, bringing an almost supernatural amount of energy to the defense, himself visible with every down he was on the field. He finished the season with 63 solo tackles, third on the team. That number ranked among the best for safeties in 2017. Most importantly, Adams brought stability and leadership to the Jets' defensive backfield that had been sorely lacking in both for years, highlighted by Jets first-round bust Calvin Pryor.

Unlike Adams' predecessors, there's a certain innate charisma about the 2017 sixth overall pick, an unquantifiable X-factor that so many general managers spend hours and days trying to authenticate during the pre-draft process. When it comes to Adams, it's all legitimate.

Jamal Adams (Getty Images)

Jets players and staff have gushed about Adams' football IQ and attitude. Players rally around him during practice, with veterans to undrafted rookies paying attention to his words. There seems to be an understanding that the defense, specifically the secondary, flows through Adams now. No one seems uneasy discussing it — his name is mentioned time and time again from players and coaches, all lending votes of confidence to the player he is and yet to become.

"You don't want anybody on your team that's willing to accept losing, or willing to be in second place," Maye said. "You always want winners on your team, you want guys that are going to come out and put in the work every day. We want guys that want to be here.

"(Adams') mentality, his mindset, is that he wants to win. Whatever it takes to win, that's what it is. You have a guy like that, you have no choice but to come along with him."

Sometimes, what it takes to win is that confidence and swagger. Other times, it's knowing when to let up on the gas pedal.

The entertainment factor Adams provides is summer movie blockbuster-type stuff. From his endless yapping to his practice dance moves to his (seemingly) over-caffeinated play on the field, Adams provides the team with a rare combination of down-to-business attitude and looseness — whatever the situation needs.

During practice on one steamy August day, Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T." blared from a speaker 70 yards away. Reacting to the song as if it were a snap count, Adams broke out some Jackson-esque dance moves along the sideline. Members of the defense took notice and laughed, while others joined in (with less enthusiasm).

His dancing ability is well documented, as the "Jets dance to anything" meme took YouTube and Twitter by storm following a Thursday night game last year. Adams, unsurprisingly, was a star of the video.

While the dancing subject hasn't been one coach Todd Bowles wants to touch, when it comes to Adams' mouth, the team welcomes that part of his game.

"Like I said in the spring, we have about eight guys on the All-B.S. Talking Team, but he can back it up, and it's fun," Bowles said. "He speaks all in jest and it's part of the game, and he enjoys playing the game and we love having him talk."

There's no dancing around the fact that the Jets defense underwhelmed at times last season, ranking 25th in total yards (5,636) and 20th in takeaways, even with the flashes between Adams and Maye. There isn't one clear path for improvement for the defense heading into 2018, and Adams knows it.

"It's really everything," Adams said. "From communication, to knowing your assignment, to getting your hands on the ball, making more turnovers. We just want to continue to get better at those things. It's not just one thing we're getting better at. We're getting better at everything."

As the Jets continue to build, they can continue to have confidence in Adams, who says and does all the right things. He's a leader on the field and off it, knowing when to offer pats on the back and kicks in the ass. That much was apparent in 2017, in a season that was a surprisingly, confusingly strong five-win year.

The practice, anchored by Adams' undying passion and energy, was a microcosm of that. He seems poised to continue the trend for himself in 2018, and coaches believe as much.

"Jamal is just growing up, leaps and bounds," said defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers. "In Year 1, he didn't know what to expect, he was just reacting and playing. Now Year 2, he's kind of sitting there, he's calling out stuff before it happens.

"The growth, the maturity process is just going through the roof."

Mo Claiborne and Jamal Adams (Getty Images)

The City

Adams may not have been voted in as "president," but the nickname is fitting as he grows into the role of president of the Jets' secondary.

Joined by cabinet members Maye, free-agent acquisition Trumaine Johnson — whom Adams describes as another "playmaker" on D — and veteran corners Mo Claiborne and Buster Skrine, the Jets' defensive back squad comes packaged with its own nickname: "New Jack City."

The movie-inspired moniker of the Jets' secondary actually came to be in 2017, dropped on the team by secondary coach Dennard Wilson, Maye said. Complete with Nike shirts — the nickname adorned across a silhouette of the New York City skyline — New Jack City is an exclusive group, membership only for defensive backs.

Wearing his, Claiborne speaks with pride knowing he's in the possession of a one-of-a-kind piece of clothing.

"They just made all the DBs (a shirt). There shouldn't be an extra one out there," Claiborne said with a hearty, jealous laugh.

Members of the group can often be found with each other on the field during practice and after it, either discussing the day or having a laugh with some post-practice smoothies. The chemistry seems to still be fostering, as the group understands the only way to get better is through learning from each other.

"Any time I'm around (Trumaine Johnson) and he's talking, I stop and listen," Claiborne said. "Which is true with everybody in the secondary, like Jamal. I don't care how young you are or old you are, when those guys say certain things, I realize that I'm not too old to learn something new, no matter who it's coming from."

Johnson, the newest high-profile denizen of New Jack City, brings experience, physicality and even more confidence to the group. Claiborne praised Johnson's physical style of play, his length and intelligence when it comes to the game.

But make no mistake: The president of New Jack City is Adams, and the nickname comes with its own palpable attitude, a confidence instilled from the president himself.

"You definitely have to have that swagger out there, that energy," Adams said. "Running to the ball, playing with that nasty mentality. Since last year, since I got here, that's always been the mentality. It's never a different mentality, in the last year or the previous year. We always have to keep that mentality."

Mo Claiborne, Marcus Maye and Buster Skrine (Getty Images)

However, there's a long way to go before the secondary is considered among the ranks of memorable units; take into account Seattle's physical play with the Legion of Boom or Denver's No Fly Zone control of the airways. A nickname is much more than just an catchy label; it represents something. Football history, and specifically Jets history, tells us as much.

The 1980s' New York Sack Exchange, composed of D-linemen Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam, is self-explanatory. During the early 2000s' short-lived "Shrek" phase, Gang Green's identity came from winning ugly, akin to the ogre from the hit film series. Most recently, the Sons of Anarchy — Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and Damon Harrison — wreaked havoc on offensive lines, albeit for an incredibly short time, and hadn't lived up to its potential.

While some of those nicknames were offered by fans, New Jack City is all on the current Jets. So what does it represent?

"It's fun, 'cause I don't feel like (the identity) has made it yet," Claiborne said. "For us right now, it's going and laying it out on the field. Put the name out there, and let the people judge and see if it sticks or not. …

"With anything, you have to go prove it. With anything. If you're trying to make a nickname for your secondary, or for yourself. You have to go put the product out there and let the people tell you if it sticks or not. You can put it on yourself, but it's not going to stick. For it to get out, that's for you guys to judge."

Coach Bowles, a former safety himself, understands the importance for a defense to have a personality. He stressed communication as the first stepping stone for a defense to nurture a personality.

"They are communicating a lot better," Bowles said. "As the games go on, and the preseason goes on, and the regular season early on, they'll develop a sort of personality. I mean it's still early, still working through some things, getting some tweaks out, but it's coming together."

One such tweak — something Adams has been vocal about — is to force more turnovers in 2018, an area in which the Jets were lacking in 2017. The team had just 11 picks through the season, with seven falling into the hands of defensive backs. Maye hopes to buck that trend, as he feels the game has "slowed down" for him and Adams through the early goings of 2018. Among the corners, Claiborne knows what he wants the secondary to accomplish.

"We want people to fear us when we walk out," he said. "We're gonna walk out, we're gonna talk noise, we're gonna play on the edge, but not hurt the team. We're just gonna go out there and leave it out there."

All members of the secondary have mentioned throughout practice that it's about developing that chemistry.

"Our camaraderie, the way that we hang out with each other, the way that we play with each other," said Maye. "Just the style of play that we have, and the type of mentality and attitude that we carry. …

"It's just a brotherhood that we have."

Buster Skrine, Mo Claiborne and Jamal Adams (Getty Images)

The Future

With Maye and Adams entering their second seasons and Johnson having signed a lucrative, five-year deal in 2018, the core of New Jack City is one the Jets can believe in for years to come.

While some still expect a low win total for New York in 2018, the future — and that overused sports word du jour, "culture" — seems to be changing for the better. It starts with the attitude. There seems to be a genuine optimism sweeping the organization, which (some) of the fan base has responded with in kind.

The players are mirroring that sentiment, as well.

"We can be as good as we want to be," Maye said. "It's just going to come with how much effort we put into it. How great we want to come out and put on display every day. The amount of work we put in is the amount of work we get out, and we've been working hard since we all got together."

Added Claiborne: "I have no idea how (wide receiver matchups) are gonna play out. But I do know we have two corners who can match up with anybody in the league."

On the other side of the ball, seemingly landing the ever-elusive franchise quarterback in Sam Darnold was a big piece of the equation being solved by New York. The burgeoning defense, rife with first-round picks, has questions to answer but is talented enough to make as much noise as Adams talks.

The team isn't without its flaws, but it is in a better position to succeed for the future than in years past, with $100 million-plus in potential cap space coming their way in 2019. Couple that with a young, talented core group of players, and images of the Butt Fumble, Vernon Gholston and other franchise lows could drift and stay firmly in the past.

For now, the Jets could accelerate the future.

Brimming with confidence, Claiborne put a bow on that idea.

"With this group, with this team — it can go somewhere it hasn't been in a while."